CVS plans to open its first concept stores early next year, CEO Larry Merlo told Wall Street analysts Tuesday. Merlo outlined areas CVS will focus on to reduce medical costs for the combined company once the deal closes.

Merlo said CVS will pilot these programs at the concept stores to learn which programs are most effective and able to be scaled across CVS' locations. The company currently operates about 10,000 stores and 1,100 MinuteClinics.

"We're making the consumer experience, which will be an increasingly important competitive differentiator, and we are hard at work creating a plan to differentiate CVS Health in these patient journeys with the goal of making them simpler and more personalized while making care more accessible," Merlo said.

To start, CVS will focus on Aetna members, he said. Over time, though, Merlo said CVS' goal is to create an open platform model where it can partner broadly.